Impact of Truck Platoon Rest Period on Mechanistic-Empirical Flexible Pavement Design

Abstract

Truck platoons could reduce fuel consumption and improve safety; however, they may increase pavement damage because of potential channelized traffic and a reduced rest period. The rest period is a critical parameter, and it is not included in the AASHTOWare Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) framework. This study’s objective was to include the impact of a rest period in the MEPDG framework, utilizing repeated-load permanent-deformation test results. A shift model was developed by extending the time–temperature superposition concept to incorporate rest period using experimental data. A three-dimensional finite-element pavement model was used, and proper pavement material characteristics and loading configurations were considered. A holistic response framework was used to compute pavement distresses as a function of both the wander and the rest period (based on the shift model). To illustrate the holistic framework, a case study of truck platoons distributed uniformly on sublanes was considered. The results indicated platoons could result in lower damage than a conventional trucking operation, with 60-ft spacing between trucks being optimal.